We celebrated outstanding women in the clean energy sector during the Women History Month. Women comprise a third of the total workforce in the renewable energy sector. According to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the renewable energy sector created over 12.7 million jobs in 2021.
We featured women who have made an impact by influencing policies, developing innovative technologies and solutions that promote clean energy access. During this ‘Decade of Action’ women continue to play a significant role in contributing to meeting the SDG 7 targets.
Here are the women that we featured in the ‘Women in Energy’ series.
Dorothy Kazombo Mwale (Malawi) was inspired to take up initiatives that promote sustainable forms of clean energy that prevent endangering women and girls. In Malawi, 97 percent of households rely on fuelwood as their primary source of energy for cooking (Malawi National Charcoal Strategy, 2020-2025). Dorothy believes women and girls need to be in spaces where they can make decisions and take part in initiatives on energy access that create impact. Read more about Dorothy:
Gilda Monjane (Mozambique) is the Founder and Director of Lojas de Energias, an initiative that empowers women entrepreneurs on clean energy living in off-grid areas of Mozambique. In 2011, she set up her first energy shop that sold solar lamp kits and offered charging services for mobile phones and solar lamps. Gilda is a champion of renewable energy as the best solution for energy access challenges in both on-grid and off-grid areas. Read more about Gilda:
Dr. Faith Wandera-Odongo (Kenya) is the Deputy Director, Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. She’s had a stellar career in the civil service where she coordinated stakeholders’ engagement on the development of the Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL) Action Agenda (AA) (2016), which is the key document in the domestication of SDG 7 in Kenya. Currently, she is coordinating the development of the Kenya National Cooking Strategy and the National Electric Cooking Strategy. She supports women being given more opportunities in advancing their education, leadership and management capabilities because gender equality is smart economics. Read more about Dr. Faith:
Dr. Sabina Anokye Mensah (Ghana) is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Anomena Venture and the National Focal Person for Gender and Energy Network, Ghana. The organization set up an improved stove manufacturing centre to produce improved Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stoves for street food vendors, institutions and commercial ventures. So far, the organization has reached more than 10,000 women in Ghana. She affirms when women are adequately supported, they can become major players in energy access, clean energy and just energy transition spaces. Read more about Dr. Sabina:
Susan Onyango (Kenya) is a member of ACCESS Coalition’s Coordination Group and a Geothermal Development expert. She works for Ressources Geologiques pour le Développement Durable (Géo2D) where she advocates for geothermal development that focuses on sustainable small-scale, community based geothermal energy projects that promote green energy for all. Susan attests renewable energy initiatives should aim at being gender-responsive. Read more about Susan:
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